The Sins of Thy Beloved
by Asuka Kimi
Summary: "He's doing good, Obito. However, he's fighting for what belongs to him with a bit of Uchiha's malice now." Kakashi chuckled humorlessly.
1. Greed

Naruto © Kishimoto Masashi

* * *

Ninja verse. Hokage!Kakashi, ANBU!Naruto, ANBU!Sasuke. They are all in Konoha.

SasuNaru, yaoi (soft smut somewhere...)

* * *

**.G .R .E .E .D**

* * *

"And why do you have to go around looking for him?" Orochimaru inquired. He opened a door, leading to another long corridor in the dimly lit hallway.

"I would try to sense him if I could use sage mode as freely in the open as him, Orochimaru-sama." There was an exasperation note in Kabuto's reply that _almost_ perked Orochimaru's sense of good humor.

Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly. They rounded the left corner and stopped in front of a closed slide door. By the light and familiar incessant chatter on the other side, no one could mistake the owner of that voice miles away. Before Orochimaru's hand could reach it, the door was unceremoniously pried open with an unnecessary force by Kabuto and the gray hair male lunged his way inside.

"Naruto-kun!" Kabuto bellowed, instantly halted the joyous talking of the two occupants inside the room. Two pairs of not-so-innocent-as-they-looked eyes turned to him, any hint of surprise was absent at his sudden appearance and outburst.

"Ah!" Naruto chortled, his mouth stretched to a wider grin, his clear blue eyes brightened with mischievous at the fuming Kabuto and turned back to Karin. "He caught me."

"My apology, Naruto-kun. I tried." Orochimaru stepped into the room and took a seat on the couch across Naruto. "But I realized I need you get back to your study soon because break time was over."

"Already?" Naruto looked at Orochimaru with wide eyes. He tilted his head and peeked outside. Indeed, it was already noon. "Oh." His attention was back to his companion when the redhead beside him stood.

Karin figured she could spare Naruto an excuse for cutting their gossip section short. After all she was the one bumped into him first. "I need to get ready for my appointment with Ibiki later." She looked at Naruto in contemplation. "Juugo and Suigetsu will return from their mission today, I'm meeting up with them at the same place. You coming?"

"Uh… yeah, okay." Naruto blinked, not expecting the invitation since he usually tagged along with Sasuke. He brushed it off to ask away his curiosity. "What does Ibiki request you for?"

"He got some trouble with the guy you captured last week. Yamanaka girl has been helping him but they didn't get any work done." Karin bowed in Orochimaru's direction when she neared the entrance way, ignored Kabuto in the process, and saluted to Naruto over her shoulder. "See you later."

"Later, Karin." Naruto waved. The playfulness wiped off his face after she was out of sight and Kabuto slid the door shut. He answered Orochimaru's questioning pose with a raised of his blonde brow.

The older shinobi folded an arm across his chest, cupping his chin with the other in mocked amusement. "That doesn't look good." Orochimaru observed. "Let's say in the case where Karin didn't have the ability they needed, what they would do?"

Naruto shrugged, repositioned himself on the couch. His ankles crossed on the far armrest and he laid down on his back, one hand cushioned his head and the unoccupied one fell limply along the couch edge, his fingers nearly brushed the floor. Naruto surveyed the white and boring ceiling unseeingly. "Everyone is acknowledged in the village, so it's cool with me. They seem to blend in well."

Orochimaru hummed at his respond. "Are you done with your assignment, Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm…" Naruto hummed in thought, he closed his eyes. "Maybe?"

"Maybe as in?" Orochimaru pressed with interest.

"I'm doing it…" Naruto furrowed his brows looking for words. When his eyes opened with mirth dancing in the blue depth, he gave the older man a foxy grin. "But I am unsure when it will start the actual progress."

Kabuto glanced between Naruto and Orochimaru, both of them had this kind of smirk on their faces did nothing but screamed I-am-going-to-show-you-how-its-done. And he knew whatever Naruto was planning to do, something was going to turn ugly for the receiving end. But well, as long he had the audience seat, there was nothing he needed to worry about… But what was he doing here in the first place…?

"Naruto-kun! Please don't call me to the library after you've done wrecking the place!" Kabuto shouted, pointing an angry finger at the startled blond.

Naruto had jerked up at the outburst and looked annoyed more at being pulled out of his relaxation than the other man's tantrum. "I don't wanna clean up that place by myself!" Naruto in all his manliness screeched, determined to outdo Kabuto's volume. "You know how huge it is!"

"You ran away right when I stepped in there and the librarian just happened to come back from her lunch break conveniently at the same time?!"

"Can't help it when I sensed Karin looking for me just by then!"

"Ah Naruto-kun, you have a good sense of humor." Orochimaru quipped, his eyes gleamed in amusement.

"Really? Realy?! I know right!"

"Orochimaru-sama! Please don't encourage him!"

"Bring us the tea and ramen, Kabuto!" Naruto demanded, pointed a finger back at the other man.

"I'm not your page boy!" Kabuto hollered exasperatedly.

"Tea and snack, Kabuto." Orochimaru calmly stood and walked over to the window.

"… Yes sir."

"Ramen!" Naruto corrected insistently, but Kabuto's footsteps had already faded away.

"Let's resume your today's lesson, Naruto-kun." The older man coaxed. Unless the "lesson" word was accompanied with "training", Naruto wouldn't cooperate willingly.

"Noooooo!" The blond whined as expected, his protested was about to make a grand appearance.

However, Orochimaru easily bribed him. "You want to impress Sasuke-kun when he's back from his mission, right?" There was many Naruto switches had Sasuke's name if used right. For example at the moment, a certain blonde head was nodding in agreement enthusiastically.

"Good. Now let's stop stalling and begin."

Serious blue eyes turned attentive, Naruto concentrated in what was being said and explained to him. The young shinobi would stop the elaboration on a matter to inquire at some point. Orochimaru made a different approach while giving Naruto several solutions and made him choose which he would follow and why he wouldn't on the others, or if he had another way to solve the problem with minimum unwanted consequences.

It was well into mid-evening by the time a distraction came but Orochimaru deemed they could stop for the day at that point. He would anyway since it was impossible for Naruto to concentrate because Sasuke had come to get him out for dinner, which the blond promptly demanded Ichiraku. Even if Sasuke didn't say it out loud but he was thankful to his former teacher because Orochimaru kindly reminded Naruto that he did agree to a gathering with Karin and the others later that day.

It was a silent agreement that they were going to get Naruto eat less ramen and more vegetables. And they were succeeding.

* * *

Karin recognized Juugo and Suigetsu's chakra together with some other nins, those she didn't care, were getting closer to the West Gate of Konoha by the time she walked out from the interrogation room. She decided to stop by her home in the New Uchiha District, some blocks away from Sasuke's main house, to freshen up. That would give enough time for the other two to turn in their mission report before they met up.

There was a tea house to Sasuke's liking, owned by an old couple moved to Konoha from the Tea Country after the war because they wanted their grandchildren to be closed to their late parents' graves. The humble place soon became their usual hang out spot when they wanted some private and no one in Konoha could say no to the dangos, especially Anko.

It didn't take long until Juugo and Suigetsu arrived, and a bit later, surprisingly Kabuto also sat there, rambling about prankster, irresponsible, obnoxious, ramen addicted brat. In which he was ignored, completely.

"Huh?" Suigetsu raised a silver eyebrow. "Why did you look for him in the first place?"

"It's Sasuke's next mission!" Karin slapped her hands on the table with much suppressed force, still causing some disturbance to the tea filled cups. "I don't think his teammate is good for the job."

"Teammate?" Juugo blinked in surprise and glanced at Kabuto puzzlingly. "I was informed we usually go on missions with threemancel or more?"

"Higher rank missions don't have to go with that pattern. Depending on the risk there are solo and duo missions too. Though that was rare. Usually high risk missions Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun always took needed backups so preferably more people to come along with them, just in case." Kabuto sipped his tea, signaled the end of his input. Inwardly he narrowed his eyes. Why there was a sudden change? Neither Sasuke nor Naruto ever went on duo missions with anyone else but the other. It might look bias, but there was no better combination than those two in the entire ninja world.

"I was in the mission room this morning so I happened to see Sasuke's awaiting missions whenever he returned." Karin put her elbow on the table and cupped her chin, she looked out on the quiet street. "Sasuke is to invade some whatever code name fishy villages and find information on their underground trading routes to Konoha, and confirm if there was indeed illegal deals going on, destroy their main base and take the head guy back here for interrogation."

"And?" Kabuto probed, listened intently.

"Sakura is coming with him, just the two of them." Karin shrugged, still looking at the street with a bored expression.

"Haa?" Suigetsu loomed over her with his wide eyes surprisingly hadn't popped out of their sockets yet.

Karin waved her free hand, shooed him dismissively. "Don't ask me, I'm not knowing anything more than you at this point."

"Isn't it a bit too reckless to appoint only one medic nin accompanies him on this one?" Juugo put his empty cup on the table and refilled it. "I knew Sakura had good offensive ability and the Fifth Hokage's Byakugo to aid her in combat but still…"

"What are you worrying about?" Suigetsu stuck his pinkie to his ear and blew any dirt latched on the tip of his nail away. "The worst might happen was she slowed him down. Nothing could be too hard for him."

"Uh huh." Karin deadpanned.

"Till don't see why you needed to find Naruto though." Suigetsu reminded her, after chomping down another dango stick.

"He listened to me when I needed someone to listen to me!" Karin slammed her fists on the table in her frustration. Everything on the wooden surface jerked up with a _clang_ before settling down, amazingly no drink got spilled.

"More like he distracted you from whatever you were going to torture his ears with." Kabuto commented, reaching out to grab another dango stick, which Juugo was faster than him and snatched it. The two males glared each other down in challenge while Kabuto took another one.

"Huh?" Karin blinked and tilted her head, her memory skimmed over the event at lunch. Indeed he did, she didn't get to talk _that_ much. She coughed in her closed hand and looked away from the other's curious stares. "Well…! But he told me some rather interesting things when we were trapped in the tree."

"Do tell." Kabuto humored her. Getting her embarrassed was easy enough but dealing with her after was the problem.

"After he received half of the Sage of Six Path's power, he could stop the after effect of Might Guy's Eighth Gate Released." Karin sipped her tea lazily.

"Truly?" Kabuto asked in astonishment. That was unexpected she got to know something they didn't. "In some of Orochimaru-sama's earlier research information I had read, it mentioned whoever reached that stage wouldn't be able to survive under any circumstance."

Karin nodded. "Yeah, so Naruto told me he put his right hand on top of the guy's heart and suddenly that guy was out of critical danger. He said he just knew what to do…" She trailed off uncertainly. Naruto was vague when he retold the story. Not because he intended to hide anything, but he couldn't accurately explain his understanding by words. To digest what he told her about the Sage's power already took more than enough toll on her aching head. She knew the other Uzumaki was unique, but this kind of unique was just too much for anyone else.

"Wow…" Suigetsu whistled, he looked impressed.

"Come to think of it… that's not something to be surprised over." Kabuto shook his head with a sigh and grabbed the dango stick when Juugo's hand was hovering over it, he smirked at the twitched on the spiky orange hair male's eye. "After all he _did_ restore the Hokage's eye. And it was previously supposed to be lost forever."

_Huh?_ The other three looked at him after his input, then their mouth formed a unison "Oh".

"You know what?" Karin pointed the tip of her eaten dango stick at Kabuto's face, breaking the silence fell over them. "I don't care anymore." She dropped the safety-questionable object on the table nonchalantly and sipped her tea, grabbed another dango stick and started eating after.

"Hey!" Suigetsu exclaimed right in the red head's ear. That got Karin threw her newly finished dango stick at his face in her shock, it flew through his head with a _splash_ and landed on the floor behind him in a heap of whitish water. He made a face at her. "Gross!"

"Stop scaring me!" Karin snapped, she put a hand over her heart in attempt to calm the rapid beating down.

"Anyway," Suigetsu glared back, "Aren't you two related?"

Karin squinted at him warily. "So?"

"Well, since you are a weirdo healing people by letting them bite you, it's not really surprising if he can heal—" There was another _splash_ under the table and Kabuto escaped his seat at the same time a rush of water hit where he sat a moment ago. The water flew back to reform Suigetsu's shin when he clicked his tongue in annoyance, glowered darkly at the red head ignoring him.

"_Restore_." Kabuto corrected after he sat back down. "As far as Orochimaru-sama's research in this matter regarding Naruto-kun's ability, began from the Uzumaki clan on his mother's side to other possible additions after he received his new power from the Sage of Six Path, he concluded Naruto-kun is not capable of producing something that was not meant to be." He raised his hand, effectively cut off the others' opened mouths to demand more details. "That means he can restore what was there before whatever event caused it to be lost. The special part was, it extended to the point of ignoring how long the damage was done as long the person was still alive."

"So that originally thanks to his mother's side?" Juugo asked, seeing Karin's frown indicated she already knew where this was going without further talking.

"Most likely." Kabuto nodded and grabbed another dango stick.

"Hey." Suigetsu added his finished dango stick to the growing pile on their table, "Then Naruto was the best healer to be on par with the First Hokage? You know, Orochimaru-sama told me the old man was capable of healing without forming hand seals?"

"Actually," Kabuto began, "The Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan of the First Hokage are distance blood relatives. So it was safe to assume Naruto-kun and Karin, both being part of the Uzumaki clan are somewhat related to the First."

"I don't know if I should feel good or bad about this." Karin rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

"Based on the first time I encountered the Fifth Hokage, who was granddaughter of the First," Kabuto's expression turned sour, "She adored him like one of her blood, which was in fact not so far from the truth."

"Blech, so scary!" Suigetsui stuck his tongue out, showing his white point teeth mockingly. "He is related to the First and Second, favorite of the Third, son of the Fourth, adored by the Fifth, remembrance to the Sixth's dear late teammate, soon to be the Seventh Hokage, not to mention Konoha's Hero, savior of the world. Am I missing something?"

"He is single." Karin announced with an air of final.

"I am not sure about that." Kabuto glanced at her oddly, not seeing the point why she made that false statement.

It was then they noticed Karin's eyes slightly narrowed. Her gaze darted sharply to the corner somewhere behind her back, the thick tension in the air went on for less than ten seconds and it was gone when she shrugged and proceeded to grab another dango stick.

The other three looked at her and among themselves confusedly. At length they ignored it all together and resumed eating their own dango share.

The silence was interrupted when a familiar noisy argument hit their ears. Four pairs of eyes peeked outside the tea house at the unmistakable forms of two males walked toward their direction.

"I told you we could just stop at Ichiraku and order take away!" The blonde one grumbled sulkily, his hands folded behind his head, looking the other way from the dark hair male walked beside him.

"Usuratonkachi, we are going to have nabe tonight and you want to eat ramen before it?" The Uchiha glared at Naruto from the corner of his eye. His face didn't show much of his disdain but his tone made up for it. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke's hands leisurely dangled at his sides with each step he took.

"What? I can eat both of them, you know?!" Naruto insisted moodily, showing his fists in the air to prove his point.

The more this pair got near, the more people's eardrums were assaulted by obnoxious yelling of Naruto and monotone snappy replies of Sasuke.

"I am surprised you have not yet looked like a pig with the way you are eating." Chirped Sasuke and threw a sneer at Naruto for unnecessary provoking effect because he could.

"Are you saying I'm fat?! You bastard!" Naruto squalled, he pointed a furious finger at the Uchiha's bored face meant to be translated as "moron".

"You should thank those sodium you have consumed, usuratonkachi, that's what help your loudmouth disturbing the neighborhood all the time." Before Naruto could open his mouth for a super extremely smart retort contained the word _"bastard"_ five times in one breath, Sasuke quipped, "I am thankful for that too. There are too many scandals keeping people away from the Uchiha Compound. And they _knew _no one could sleep at night."

Naruto was red, fuming red, raging red, tomato red. He stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and stormed the remaining distance to the tea house without further not-so-witty retort. Before he was completely out of earshot, he heard Sasuke whispered softly enough for only him to hear, "That's not the proper way to use your tongue, usuratonkachi." In which Naruto's redness converted to another kind, but the others didn't need to know it!

* * *

Sasuke witnessed the sight in front of him with cold detachment. He glanced down at the stilling body he had dragged away from the massacred estate and threw it beside his feet. His activated Sharingan flickered to the comatose form, he sneered cruelly at the man. The foe's dirty yukata was covered in blood. Of course, Sasuke didn't kill or injure the man in that matter however, same things wasn't applied to whoever in same place with him tonight.

Sasuke swept Kusanagi at the man's face to rid of any dripping warm blood on the blade, effectively woke his victim when he sheathed his sword to its usual place on his lower back. His elbow leisurely propped on the hilt while he watched the miserable excuse of an adversary.

...

The man groaned when last string of unconsciousness left him, he slowly opened his eyelids and wished he hadn't. This nightmare should not be real, it wasn't even supposed to be real! This… this _thing_ was not even human! What with that crimson color and different irises? Was that even an iris at all?! The corner of his eye caught a familiar red tattoo on _it_s upper left arm. No one had informed him about this _thing_! That was supposed to be a rebuilding village! It had been destroyed not only once! How could this happen to him?! How could they even afford to have such _monster_!

"H—how… how much did t—they hire you?" He asked shakily, willing himself to calm down. If he made any sudden move to escape, this _thing_ might change its mind and kill him! "I—I can pay you more than them! Work for me! You will have _anything you want_!" Right, if he had such _monster_ on his beck and call, who needed the rest of those useless mercenaries and rogue ninjas. He could resume his plan in no time!

To his relief, _it_ removed its hand from the sword and crouched down at his eyes level. However, dread came knocking at the back of his mind relentlessly when chiller than ice fingers snaked around his throat and cut off the sole route of air rushed in and out of his windpipes. He thrashed wildly and his foot kicked at nothing, it was the moment realization hit him that his self had no purchase on the ground anymore. His tongue stuck out while saliva trickled down from the corner of his mouth to his chin, his vision slowly rolled upward. If it was possible for him to look at his face, he would have seen the color was leaving until only a sickly white remained. His hands weakly clawed at its wrist while _it_ kept squeezing harder as time passed to further deprive him of air.

When he thought his neck bone was about to crack, precious air filled his lungs, maintained his blackened mind in between reality and hallucination. The grip went lax little by little until his butt dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Unconsciousness had never been a more welcoming thing than this instant, hoping beyond hope he would wake up from this so real nightmare. He caught the sight of another figure standing behind _it_ at a last moment before the world dissolved into darkness.

...

"I told you not to come." Sasuke whispered, put one of his bloody palm over the arms wrapped around his upper torso from behind. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back to feel more of those hot breaths on the exposed skin of his neck where nose buried in his nape.

"You looked like you were going to kill him." There was no accusing in that statement, only hands tightened around him. "I…" A hesitant hush murmured against his skin. "What if _they_..." Sasuke could feel how his partner trembled ever so slightly from how they pressed together chest to back, words struggled to get out from lips melted onto the back of his neck. "... You..." The muffled words gave him more than enough hint to understand the broken version of vocalizing fear. "... From me..."

Sasuke turned around to face the other, fast enough to cut off any further tremor words and still retained the embrace. "Hold on." He mouthed softly on his partner's forehead and nudged his nose against whisker-like cheek. Sasuke stepped back when the arms unwillingly loosened until they released him. Before temptation got the better of him, Sasuke turned away from the other and quickly summoned two small snakes, let them slither down the almost forgotten target's throat and ordered them to stay still in that man's stomach and waited for instruction. Sasuke's fingers were a blur when he formed hand signs, as soon as he stopped at the last seal, the unmoving body teleported away in a _poof_ of dust.

His motionless companion watched in silent while he worked. All were done, Sasuke walked back to the other and led them away from the dead estate. When they stood a good distance away from the main entrance, he turned back and did his clan's trademark hand signs.

_Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!_

A giant fireball shot out from his mouth and bathed the entire area inside the thick brick wall in flame, leaving nothing but ashes survived. Unlike earlier, before his partner could stay any longer to see into it, Sasuke had swiped them away with none other than the Fourth Hokage's famous Flying Thunder God technique.

* * *

Sasuke sat on one of the large ancient root emerged over the forest soil of the tree and lean on its lumpy bark. They decided to stop and rested for the night when they were well-hidden in the heart of a woods on their way back. The other was inspecting dry blood painted several places on his skin to be sure none of them was his. Sasuke had long given up persuade the moron that he was as good as when they left the village. _Finally_, said moron nodded, appeared to be pleased with the result. Sasuke felt like rolling his eyes. _'Where was the meekly one seconds ago?'_

"Shaddap, you bastard. What's wrong with wanting to be sure your Uchiha ass wasn't deformed in some way?!" The moron snapped at him.

This time, Sasuke _did_ roll his eyes. "Last time I checked, I haven't said anything. And I already told you I'm fine. But no," He drawled, lifted his chin higher and blinked pleasantly at the twitching blue eyes. "You can't just keep your hands to yourself." Sasuke couldn't help his genetic bastardy smirk forming. The way Naruto swallowed and wet his own lips could never escape these Uchiha's eyes.

Naruto might have been obvious but by all means, he was not _innocent_. Aaah, too many intentional puns.

Before Naruto had any chance to surface from the daze he was drowned in, Sasuke pressed a thumb and forefinger on the back of his neck and guided his flushed face closer until their lips touched innocently. They kept eyes contact until Naruto's lids unconsciously fell, made absent the ocean amidst a timberland.

Sasuke was content with how this felt. There was no need to push or pull or lick or nip. The equanimity, the harmony, the tranquility, the serenity in this gesture enveloped him in the solace he once denied himself.

Naruto was first to draw back. He pressed their foreheads together, freed of their protectors pronounced them as ninja of Konoha. Blue eyes searched for something in the bottomless midnight orbs flickered on and off of Sharingan while Sasuke tried to reign his emotions. A soft chuckle broke out from the younger of the two and Naruto nuzzled Sasuke's shoulder. They didn't mind and didn't even bother the fact that somewhere along the line Naruto had ended up in Sasuke's lap. Sasuke closed his eyes and placed his chin on top of the blonde head with tiny hint of a smile on his lips. Sasuke's right hand wrapped around Naruto's back and Naruto had his left hand on Sasuke's hip. Their other hands, once upon a time bore half of an ultimate sealing technique each, fingers entwined, laying on the forest floor.

Naruto's eyes shined with fondness of the memory, mesmerized by how they fitted. Naruto breathed inaudibly.

_Rikudo Chibaku Tensei_.

Sasuke heard anyway and a foreign noise bubbled in his chest. Naruto turned his eyes back to the Uchiha and puffed his pink tinted cheeks.

"What are you trying to seal this time? A forest elf?" Sasuke inquired teasingly. His face didn't express much of how amused he felt but the gleam in his black orbs spoke enough for two.

Naruto huffed and lifted his chin in the air haughtily, in doing so, hid his expressive eyes from Sasuke. Only to shut them tightly and shivered at the way Sasuke's hand on his back took the path of his spine and trailed up until pale fingers weaved their ways in between his blonde locks and situated his head. His breathing was noticeably uneven and his lips parted slightly. "Well?" He felt Sasuke blew in his ear and a stinging sensation hit the same appendage where Sasuke bit it. Something caught in his throat.

His eyes opened against his will. The intensity of how Sasuke observing him froze him on the spot and eradicated his defense mechanism. It was impossible now to abuse profanities, using empty threats and nonsense wording as usual to counter dangerous zones. How could a simple reminiscing lead into the dreadful confession of _love_ when the wounds were still fresh a jolt could reopen and turned even uglier.

Despite the way his lips quivered, his voice steady with each words. He feared the upcoming changes but his mind was not clouded with doubt. Naruto was confused and got himself lost before but he had never been uncertain about what he wanted.

"I am sealing Sasuke with me."

Even they were motionless, a lone leaf didn't dare to fall off its branch for fearing of getting cut in pieces by the impenetrable barrier, crafted from numerous shimmering lines of sharp wires meant to eliminate life of every approaching attempt of anything that moved.

* * *

"Huh?" Kabuto blinked in surprise when he brought the usual tea and snack into the room. A certain person was missing and the air was oddity off. "It's rare for Naruto-kun to skip his lesson."

Not looking up from the scroll captured his interest, Orochimaru replied uncaringly, "He finished his lesson early so I gave him some time off. They would return whenever they want."

"They?" Kabuto inquired while he set the tray of food down on the table and stood to the side of Orochimaru. The older shinobi closed his scroll and reached for a steaming tea cup.

"Naruto-kun went with Sasuke-kun on his mission last night." Orochimaru sipped his tea, tittered low in his throat.

Kabuto looked puzzle from the scroll to Orochimaru. "I thought Karin said Haruno Sakura was appointed to be on that mission with Sasuke-kun?"

"And how did Karin get to know about Sasuke-kun's mission?" Orochimaru questioned without a glance in Kabuto's direction.

Something clicked.

"Haruno Sakura had made a grave mistake in her last mission, even if it was successful. Her action was against the original plan of their squad leader. She prioritized the wrong matter within her medic ninja's status. She endangered her teammates' safety by acting on her own and disregarded orders." Orochimaru elaborated, set the empty cup down and Kabuto immediately refilled it for him. "I am not interested in what she wanted to prove but that was the reason our dear Hokage removed her from Sasuke-kun's mission. Apparently he decided she was unfitted to accompany him if she acted the way she did. She tried to argue with the Hokage but Sasuke-kun told them he preferred doing it alone. And I happened to ask Naruto-kun deliver something unimportant there at that same time."

"Somehow… coincident was not just happened after all." Kabuto readjusted his glasses, a smirk appeared under the shadow of his palm and disappeared by the time he removed his hand from his face.

"There is only things looked like coincident in this world." Orochimaru's shoulders shook with his cackle, he leaned back on the couch and raised the tea cup high in the air. "Naruto-kun, you passed."

.

.

.

_"The conception was simple. You are to have an understanding on how their psyche works, that way you will control over all possible feelings might lead to the kind of reaction you want to bring out from that person under the right pressure."_

_"So that's how to provoke someone and just like that they are easily to be effected by outside inputs or they just couldn't think the way they usually do and prompt to make mistakes without you actually participate in?" Naruto's wide eyes showed his astonishment, mouth agape._

_"Isn't it how Uchiha Obito fell under Uchiha Madara's manipulation that you want to know more about?" Orochimaru eyed the younger shinobi with a knowing glint in his slit golden pupils. "Having knowledge of how it happened and how to do it do help when something of the same caliber happened to you. One of the many necessary things you would need to know to become a Hokage when the time comes."_

_"Urg…" Naruto looked outside and muttered darkly under his breath. "That old hag always drank sake whenever I walked in on her. Did she do that to rile others up so they would lose their mind and got drunk with her?"_

_A loud bang snapped his head back and Naruto was face to face with Orochimaru's head floating in front of his face connected with the body by a long neck, color drained off his complexion at the sight. A long red tongue moved with each word Orochimaru said. The frightened blond nodded his head repeatedly agreeing to whatever Orochimaru was saying about no drinking before eighteen until the neck retracted to normal length._

_"Sasuke… how did you survive this hentai-hebi all that time…" Naruto dragged his cheek on the table top and whined out loud. The head once again floated back at his face. Before Orochimaru could say anything to scare the blond more, Naruto passed out on the couch._

* * *

"Now I wish you were Sakura." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, how he did the act elegantly was beyond Naruto's understanding. Could be in Uchiha's gene.

Naruto didn't look away. There was too much sarcastic. Not in Sasuke's voice, not in his face, not in his eyes because they didn't betray what the Uchiha felt when he said that. It was the mention of Sakura.

By all means, Sakura was not a taboo topic. The different ways they felt about her that mattered. Sasuke had little to none patient when it came to her. Naruto would endanger his own life for her as it was in his nature to do just that for his friends. The special spot she had in his life and his heart was shared equally with their friends. But the place Sasuke stayed in Naruto's heart was a different topic. And this one was a taboo. The same went with Sasuke when it came to him.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Sasuke sneered one fleeting moment and he narrowed his eyes at Naruto the next. "That would be what I said. It was easy to deal with her. Unlike you."

"You have to be so mean." Naruto said with a smile didn't reach his eyes.

"The sooner she woke up from her delusion," Sasuke's hand emerged from the sea of blonde hair and slid down to Naruto's cheek, his thumb brushed over the whisker-like birthmarks, "The better off her life would be."

"She already knew your answer." Naruto informed him. "It was not her fault to hope for a chance of difference."

Sasuke nodded. "It was my fault for being born in the same era as you."

Naruto snorted, he leaned into the fingers caressing his face like a feline. "Please." His tongue darted out and gave a quick lick when the tip of a thumb was close to the corner of his mouth and turned a little so his lips kissed the underside of Sasuke's palm. "Someone must stop you from taking over the world."

"I will succeed. Do it with me." Sasuke deadpanned.

"You are even worse than Madara." Naruto snipped, his bottom lip jutted out in vexation.

"Complaining already, are you?" Sasuke pinched and pulled on the whisker cheek almost painfully.

Naruto's eye twitched. His position didn't give him a good aim to swat Sasuke's hand off his face unless he detangled their joining hands, and he wouldn't. "Haaaateeee yoooouuuuu!" Naruto emphasized instead.

"Only a girl would say something so contradict to what they felt." Sasuke squeezed his hand, their fingers gripped tighter on each other.

"You are one to talk." Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha.

"True." Sasuke raised his brow again. "I said things to Sakura because I love her with all of my none-existence heart."

"Wonderful." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I am deeply sorry a moron ran away with my equally idiotic heart." Sasuke shook his head in feigned dismay.

"That's what he said!" Naruto gasped. His hand wriggled between their bodies and slapped over his heart in mocked bewilderment.

Sasuke grunted and turned his head away from Naruto, but he only exposed his pinkish ear to hide the soft blush on his cheeks. Butterflies flapped their wings madly in his stomach and Naruto felt strangely… happy. The _happy_ happy kind made a person giddy and couldn't stop smiling like an idiot that even Naruto was not an exception.

Yike, so cheesy. When did the air turn pink?

And wasn't this where someone usually got a kiss?

Uchiha would not be kissed, they initiated it, even if they unknowingly followed the script of a cheap opera. Control returned to him, Sasuke gazed back at Naruto and lowered his head.

"But Sasuke… I was supposed to take Karin to Ichiraku that morning!" Naruto whined, he pouted mournfully for his missed ramen treat. "Why did you have to ask someone else to switch schedule with her anyway?!"

"So that you can't eat ramen for breakfast?" Sasuke growled. The pink aura was blown away like it got hit by a storm and dark clouds were gathering over Sasuke's head with lightning to boost.

"Why do you have to be such a bastard?!" Naruto screeched, some of the words were muffled by Sasuke's hand pushed his face away. The last Uchiha in the world was still too young to be deaf by volume poisoning.

Finally opera-freed. Now, a familiar headache took over the stage. Sasuke vowed to raid Hokage tower like the terrorist he had made himself become not long ago and eradicate the word "ramen" in human history! It was by sheer luck Naruto didn't taste like _ramen_!

"Too much sodium is not good for your health." Sasuke asserted with disdain. "Now you don't even have to live the way you did before." He raised his voice. "Why are you still acting like _I_, or _you_, or _we_, can't afford to give you anything better than that?"

"It's not what I—" Naruto was about to say more but he was cut off.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "And what's wrong with me wanting to make sure you are eating properly?"

"H—hey! That was how I've been all the time!" Naruto snapped. "You didn't even care before!"

"You think it's alright to assume I don't care now?" Sasuke snarled back. "Or you did it to rile me up so we can have this conversation?! Are you satisfy now?"

"I didn't mean it that way…" Naruto trailed off, angled his head down to avoid Sasuke's harsh glare. He felt like a misbehavior child being scolded for having a snack before dinner.

Sasuke's eyes softened, he lifted Naruto's chin, raised the downcast blonde head up to look at him. "You always had my attention, doesn't matter what you do."

"I know…" Naruto admitted in a small voice, his words mixed with apprehensive Sasuke couldn't interpret. "I just…" Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head. "… Feeling stupid."

"You always are an usuratonkachi." Sasuke smirked. At the remark, Naruto jutted his bottom lip and puffed his cheeks, tried his best to glare deadly at the expert-of-glaring-art Uchiha, and failed miserably.

"Well," Naruto shot. "You always are an Uchiha bastard, teme!"

"You need to update your dictionary." Sasuke drawled, snuggled Naruto tighter in his lap. "I know mine and Itachi's father and mother, and your parents did know my parents. Your theory of me being a bastard was always invalid then, and now."

Naruto fumed and stuck his tongue at Sasuke's smug expression. Before the appendage could escape back to its warm cavern however, it was captured by a pair of pale pink lips and sucked into another warm cavern, entwined with another familiar appendage. Sasuke's cold fingers stroked the skin on his back. So lost in too many sensations, Naruto was unaware of how his clothes was leaving him one by one until his bare back was on Sasuke's own discarded ANBU undershirt.

Naruto hated and loved it when Sasuke left bite marks everywhere the Uchiha's devious mouth was moving on his body, at the same time ground their hips together, cut off Naruto's incoming protests about possessive Uchiha bastard and pulled moans and groans of pleasure out of his mouth instead.

Naruto hated and loved it when Sasuke prepared him as best as he could. Naruto needed the immense pain despite not a masochist himself, to know this was real, they were real. Sasuke was long done with wanting him hurt. His cry was swallowed at the penetration by long kisses took his mind away from the burning sensation felt like something was ripping him from inside out.

Naruto hated and loved it when Sasuke purposely missed or only grazed his prostate just so the smug bastard could hear him beg for more but, before he could say the full word _"please"_, it was snapped in half when he screamed into the silent forest at the borderline brutal force hammered his over-sensitive hidden spot relentlessly.

Naruto hated and loved it when he felt like half an eternity had passed to be washed away in white rapture, at the same time like a blink of the eyes it ended so suddenly that he missed the rapid motions of Sasuke moving in and out of him almost immediately.

Naruto was going to hate it when he woke up in Sasuke's arms covered with dried sweat and some questionable stickiness fluid others later.

At this moment, Naruto loved it when Sasuke had not pulled out of him yet. Sasuke simply stayed where he last found his own euphoria, pulsing inside Naruto the way his heartbeat slowly calmed down after their passion. Sasuke didn't whisper some sweet nothings in Naruto's ears until the blond completely fell asleep. He held Naruto instead, let his moron know he was there and stayed awake until the usuratonkachi woke up.

* * *

"Why did you not let me go with Sasuke-kun as you previously assigned Hokage-sama!" Sakura persisted in frustration for the umpteenth times and frankly, she knew she was getting on her Hokage's nerves.

"I don't see any point in talking further. Why can't you just drop it?" Kakashi asked her. He tentatively massaged his aching temple, he never thought Sakura was a nagging type.

"But I was supposed to be going with him on this mission! You can't just replace me with Naruto because he suddenly appeared in the room and heard about it!" Sakura slammed her hands on his table to make her point, more like letting him know she was unhappy with his decision.

"Did I not repeatedly tell you the reason was because of your recent episode in not following orders and acted outside of what you were assigned of?" The Hokage raised his voice a bit, still trying to suppress his irritation at her incessant to hang on this pointless argument like her life depended on it.

"Because he was unable to understand what I can do aside from being the team's medic ninja. I could be in the front line and—"

"Was that why you left Hinata's injuries unattended because you thought you could do it instead of her?" Anger started leaking out, a memory of Obito and that fateful day flashed in Kakashi's mind eyes. He thought better of her!

"And I did! I even healed her right back after I finished her unfinished job!" Sakura claimed, almost fiercely.

"Sakura," Kakashi addressed her. He looked at her straight in the eyes with narrowed gaze, "Is there any particular reason that you wanted to be alone with Uchiha Sasuke on a mission?"

His question predictably caught her off-guard judging by how she flinched and averted her eyes from him.

Kakashi needed no further question in this matter. "Do you think this is a date?" He demanded in a statement tone. "This mission has a very high risk, even one wrong move could mean treason in both countries. That's why there couldn't be a possibility to allow many to know let alone do it. All you could think was your personal issues with Sasuke?" There was a disappointed sigh at the end of his words. Kakashi shook his head and turned his back to her. "Take a rest Sakura. And use that time to think. It's not like you to act this way." The door to his office closed and Kakashi left her alone inside. He might end up saying something he would regret later if she said any more than she had, since the moment Sasuke didn't say anything to protest when Naruto passed by, conveniently heard, and conveniently followed the flow, suggested he could go with Sasuke in her stead.

"Besides, you have always been fighting a lost battle." Kakashi whispered to himself before teleporting away to reappear at Uchiha Cemetery's entrance. He stopped in front of Uchiha Obito's grave stone. Regarding the name written on it for a while, he looked up and noticed the breaking dawn.

"He's doing well, Obito. However, he's fighting for what belongs to him with a bit of Uchiha's malice now." Kakashi chuckled humorlessly. He let out a long sigh. "I guess facing the fear of losing Sasuke several times did more damage to him than any of us could heal, except the cause himself. Well, as long no more fool planned to threaten Sasuke inside Konoha I guess Naruto still have a chance to be cured if he wants to…" Kakashi contemplated, he added, "Which I guess not."

_'Isn't it irony? He saved each and every of us but the only one who could save him was none of us but Sasuke.'_

* * *

**End chapter.**

* * *

Author's note:

If you have read this before, I am really sorry for the alert. I am on my way to rewrite the whole thing. Hopefully I can get the remaining chapters up soon before I grab my gun and shot myself.


	2. Sloth

Naruto © Kishimoto Masashi

* * *

SasuNaruSasu, boyslove. No explicit content. Oiroke no jutsu (Sexy Technique) usage.

Red Alert: Beware of Sasuke.

* * *

**.S.L.O.T.H**

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke, age seventeen. Uzumaki Naruto, age seventeen.

Despite not being the oldest _genin_s from Hidden Village of Leaf, for the sake of the younger generations' _safety_ and _sanity_, these two were promoted to Chuunin upon returning to Konoha.

To put the younger generations out of their misery, a Jounin Exam was in order. A month after the War.

Unlike back when they participated in Chuunin Exam, this was an individual promotion required each and every of participants to prove their skills and show off what they were capable of.

Again, to keep the remaining participants _safe_ and _sane_, here was the list of what to do and whatnot during the exam:

1- Do not use Sage Techniques.

2- Do not use Tail Beast's power.

3- Do not use the Sage of Six Path's power.

4- Do not use any kind of enhanced Sharingan and, or Rinnegan.

5- Do not use any mass destruction and, or controlling technique.

6- Please keep to all the basic elements techniques.

7- Please keep to all the normal ninja techniques.

8- Please only use normal taijutsu.

9- You are not allowed to kill your opponent.

10- Those who were not Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are entitled to ignore the first to eighth rule.

11- Those who were not Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are to keep your mouths shut about what you read on the first to seventh rule.

12- Those who are Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are to keep their mouths shut upon reading at this point.

Again, to maintain the _safety_ and _sanity_ of remaining participants, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were given their own waiting room, away from others on request of the new Sixth Hokage.

And by now, in the Uchiha and Uzumaki's makeshift personal playground…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Came a deafening screech followed with a loud _crack_ and _bang_, one unfortunate cheap vase sat innocently by an opened window happily said goodbye to life because of its inability to keep on enduring the onslaught of shrieking noises, one equally cheap table got deformed by somewhat still-merciful fists from a certain outraged occupant in the room.

The other occupant, ignored his temporary roommate, carefully rescanned the conditions to be met on their upcoming exam, umpteenth times. Onyx eyes narrowed, trying his damnedest not to burn a pretty hole on the paper in his hand. Nope, not misreading anything.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! This is even more absurd than the last Chuunin Exam I failed before the War!" Naruto paced around the room and yelled at no one in particular. Simply because the receiving ends were staying in somewhere relatively safe, for now.

"Are you telling me how much of a moron you are?" The silent roommate deadpanned, not an ounce of inquiring in the tone.

"What is it you bastard! Are you asking for a fight again?!" Grated Naruto, more vicious than before and more earsplitting than ever.

"Tell me, Naruto, how did you manage to fail it _again_? Not hearing the rule or forgot it completely?" The taunting question pierced the air in shape of a boulder and scored direct hit on Naruto's face, sent the slightly shorter one of the two to a far corner of the room. Naruto sulked under a dark cloud magically appeared above his blonde head.

Pleased with the silence in the room, the pale skin, black hair, _still_ black eyes individual once again focused on the innocence piece of paper with not so innocence contents written on it, and reread the whole thing again. He had to repeat a mantra in his head that his eyes _could_ kill. _Don't glare_. Nope, not misreading, again.

The sun-kissed skin, watery oceanic blue eyes, brooding in the corner Naruto was jolted from his moping section by a familiar sound. His blood ran cold, icy sweats dribbled profusely on the back of his neck, where all blonde hairs stood on end and dread invaded his system. That dark, dark _silent laughter_…

Uchiha Sasuke's shoulders shook with mirth. The low noises escaped his throat however, was chiller and more ominous than a Death God breathing down on an unfortunate victim's neck. Under black bangs covered his eyes, three black tomoes span madly in crimson pupils.

Naruto gulped. He debated on slowly approaching or pouncing Sasuke anyway before the entire area were flooded with Amaterasu soon, very _soon_. After all, the room arrangement was not without a purpose. Even if Naruto was just as wanting to skin whoever thought of all these crazy rules as Sasuke, he wouldn't let the Uchiha be freed to act on his own whimsical rampage under any circumstance. "Sasuke…?"

Said person looked up at the sound of his name. _What's with that sudden docile?_ Sasuke pondered and inwardly winced when he was about to raise a questioning brow at the fidgeting blond. Sasuke sighed, he patted a free space on the couch, indicated Naruto to come sit beside him.

Naruto drifted toward Sasuke meekly but flopped into the seat without hesitation. After a while of staring at each others eyes, Sasuke's hand lifted. Naruto neither averted his gaze nor flinched when that hand was at the back of his head. Sasuke's slightly cold fingers guided him forward until their foreheads bumped, not so hard to leave a sting but a sense of calmness washed over him. "You are thinking too much". Sasuke whispered, soft breaths caressed his face. This close, Sasuke's scent was practically inhaled into his lungs. "Usuratonkachi."

There was a hitch in Naruto's breathing, he swallowed his suddenly dried throat at hearing the familiar insult and endearing nickname, the latter was noticeably more prominent. It was always fine when Sasuke called him that back then, and he had a fair share of verbal exchange for retaliation. This time however, to his horror, his face heated up and Naruto fought tooth and nails to squash it down. "I'm not." He uttered defensively.

Instead of starting their banter like when they were twelve, Sasuke was quiet. Keeping their eyes contact, he slid his fingers in soft golden spikes downward, applied pressure here and there in his wake and halted on Naruto's nape, feeling Naruto relaxed further after his ministration. "There is nothing for you to think about."

Sasuke let the paper dropped. The object was immediately engulfed in flame, not even ash was left to touch the floor a second later. Naruto didn't notice his eyes had left Sasuke's to look at it until there was nothing remained. A pale hand took hold of his chin by a thumb and forefinger, situated his head so now his vision was filled with its owner again. Naruto realized with a missed beat of his heart, Sasuke still looked at him with the same intensity could suffocate anyone else. That didn't mean he felt no self-conscious however.

Naruto didn't know when or why he had closed his eyes, his hands applied a faint grip on Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke wasn't aware of how his hands had gained their own minds, one should be on Naruto's nape now wrapped around the small of the blond's back and pulled Naruto closer to him, the other was meant to keep Naruto's eyes on him now trailed along each whisker-like birthmark on Naruto's cheek.

There was this urge to lean up on Naruto's part and bend down on Sasuke's part, to shorten the space between them until nothing left. Though, they stayed motionless that way. At last, Sasuke regained his senses and withdrew his hands reluctantly. He stood up and strode toward the window. While he looked outside at the boring scenery made up a vast arena where the joke they called Jounin Exam was to take place, Sasuke tried to control his twitching hands from the lost contact with Naruto's heat skin. At the same time, Naruto flattened a disappointment from not acting on his instinct had screamed at him to grab Sasuke before the Uchiha pulled away, but half of him relieved that he didn't.

The silence between them turned awkward and tense.

Sasuke closed his eyes hoping to clear his lust-filled mind before he lost to the temptation and did something he wouldn't regret even if Naruto loathed him for it. Somewhere in the back of his mind indulged eloquently that the blond wouldn't. When he had been honest with himself, everything was naturally clicked together like a completed puzzle. He wanted Naruto.

Naruto had spouted about their bond and friendship every chance he could until the blond admitted he didn't know what it was anymore. Sasuke's mind had taken that opportunity gleefully and provided him less than decent pictures about certain things the moron might or might not know what himself babbled about. Sasuke wouldn't entertain a fact that he got his newly rebuilt house with broken doors and debris everywhere, because he spent a week ignoring Naruto to analyze this new spark between them ever since the War ended, courtesy of the same moron who couldn't take a little neglecting like the seventeen years old he was and had to act seven once again. Sasuke tested out several theories, replacing Naruto with Juugo then Suigetsu then Karin then even Sakura. None came back with the same flowers and rainbows result as Naruto's.

Nevertheless, this was one of the time Sasuke refused to think about it. Not when the object of his headache was several feet away from where he stood. Sasuke experienced it the hard way to know Naruto would never unlatch himself from him no matter what he did, even if he might turn gay only for the moron. He wanted Naruto to be able to choose. Knowing Sasuke's feeling would result in blind acceptance on Naruto's part. And Sasuke cared too much about the moron to let it happen. He wanted to give Naruto time to decide what he wanted with Sasuke, and what he wanted about them.

Sasuke didn't mean for his Sharingan to activate at the time he reopened his eyes, but something in sight caught his attention. _Something_ caused the corner of his lips curled up and formed a sinister sneer had Orochimaru saw, his former teacher would die of happiness.

Naruto almost jumped out of his skin and his startling blue eyes dilated when Sasuke reappeared in front of him. It took him less than a moment to realize he was trapped in place where he was and Sasuke, whose hands were at his sides. Sasuke crouched at his eyes level. When he saw his name formed on the Uchiha's lips and the sound of it rang in his ears… "Naruto." Gone. That _Sasuke_ had gone.

What left was the same old Sasuke he knew. Sasuke who was his one and only rival, one of the strongest shinobi in their world. The aloof, deadly and exotic Uchiha. If possible, Naruto's eyes widened more, alarm went off inside his head at Sasuke's next words.

* * *

The crowd, mostly consisted almost all the kunoichi's population, cheered deafeningly when medic squad surrounded the fallen chuunin, a guy from the Hidden Village of Grass, unlucky to be Uchiha Sasuke's opponent.

Tuned out the ear-splitting noises, Sasuke nonchalantly sauntered back to his self-assigned spot in the common waiting area. Adding him made it eight left to enter quarter final for the last phase of the Jounin Exam. He mildly wondered why they hadn't done it sooner. Just matching up all the minions then watched they went on fighting each other to half-death, dropped out and spared the rest from waiting for their own doom. There wouldn't be much different at this point. Anyhow, that was not his highest priority of pondering right now.

His sharp eyes met crystal blues for a second before he glided pass Naruto without much of a backward glance, neither did he falter in his steps. Sasuke smirked when friends came running toward the latter, successfully cut off Naruto's opened mouth was about to call him.

By the time Naruto looked away from his friends to find that familiar form, Sasuke was completely gone from sight and he was dragged back to his friends' congratulations and best wishes on his next fight. Naruto tried his best to smile and laugh normal, as normal as he was capable of with the twist in his stomach only grew worse by his mounting apprehension.

* * *

Naruto couldn't tear his eyes from the screen taunted him by what it displayed. Their names were on bold, underlined, bright red letters, read "**Uchiha Sasuke** vs. **Uzumaki Naruto**". The first match-up of semifinal.

His friends were exchanging worry glances but no one spoke up. What could they say? It felt like some kind of déjà vu from their last Ninja War resurfaced. They knew _this_ was going to happen. But it had been pushed back to the furthest of their minds until reality reared its hideous head and guffawed at them in the face.

Sasuke had made a point, by glaring at anyone got closer to him least alone started a conversation, that he didn't wish to be bothered. No one retried after the first failed attempt, included Sakura.

Naruto, after politely sneaked away from his friends, stood looking at the same scenery Sasuke had been watching with detachment. A distance was well-placed between them.

The bell signaled their match rang through the arena and cheers thundered every corner, unaware of the stiff air between the two minus their inner circle. Sasuke was first to leave and walked toward the arena, with Naruto followed a moment later.

* * *

The crowd kept screaming over all futile attempts of crowd control from the administrators. Until one sex bomb, blue eyes woman with asymmetrical shoulder length blonde hair, Samui, stepped up from her place beside her Raikage, and grabbed the microphone from one of the nearby administrator. She took a long inhale.

"SILENT! Feel ashamed of yourselves for swooning over two hot boys and die to rid our world of your worthless ninja lives! You good for nothing bunnies who have no better thing to do than howling like bitches in heat!"

No one dared breathing too loud, let alone reopen their mouths in that matter.

Samui heaved after her small speech due to her effort of screeching at the top of her lung. When she respired somewhat normal, she coughed in her fist and gave the microphone back to the astonished administrator, whom was not the only person looked at her with something akin to respect and awe. Samui ignored them and resumed her previous position with a soft "Excuse me". The Raikage being who sat close to her, said nothing about a slight dust of pink on her cheeks.

"BEGIN!"

A bell rang after the referee's signal for the fight to start. The whole area was flooded by an enormous amount of killing-intent leaked out of one Uchiha Sasuke, his three-tomoes Sharingan zeroed in Naruto's frame stood at arm length in front of him. If by the Uchiha's sheer blood-lust alone brought most of the occupants to their knees while striking a good amount of fear to those still standing, being the Five Kages they were, or sitting in that matter, whose shaky legs could no longer support them; the remaining fearless warriors almost lost the rest of their complexion's color at Naruto's adding fury in his icy blue eyes.

Despite that, five Kages and their close attendants were able to catch the odd in both young shinobi's stances and the actual directions where they looked. Sasuke and Naruto looked like they were staring each other down by untrained eyes. The Hokage strained to read them. That was a secret during their old days he thought had been lost forever with one last survivor of the Lock Village. Sasuke sent eye signals with his Sharingan.

"YOU PASSED!"

The voice of Hatake Kakashi, Sixth Hokage of Konoha, broke through the facade of upcoming doom befell the occupants in the entire arena.

In which the Uchiha's dark aura disappeared. Cue rapidly blinking confused blue eyes and an intelligent "What the—?!" From Naruto.

The bewildered blond looked at his former teacher and Hokage, then skimmed over all paled faces of whoever still awoke and noticed the amount of passed out audiences. "Eeeehhh?!" Naruto then turned his attention to the yawning Sasuke, whom adopted his usual I'm-bored-out-of-my-mind's face. "Uh…?"

"I don't know if I should feel happy that you've learned how to speak with less than two words or ashamed in your place that you've managed to make a more fool of your usual idiotic self." Sasuke drawled, his eyes appeared lazy but certain people noted the sharp edge when he glanced over the audiences casually.

"What did you say, you bastard?!" And then, Naruto pounced.

* * *

_"The Five Daimyos?" Naruto repeated, not exactly understand what Sasuke told him._

_"I remember which places their chakra came from when we dispelled the Tree." Sasuke elaborated. "They probably spy on us to get information about the War and, or assassinate possible threats for their Lords while looking for potential recruits."_

_"You sure you are not being paranoid?" Naruto inquired in a small voice, actually being caution now that he saw Sasuke's frown. "I mean… they may be spying but their intentions?"_

_"The Five Kages did try to cover up our trails in the War but some people are too smart for their own good." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I considered finishing them off before they make a move. But since I decided to tell you, it will be troublesome to carry out that thought." He finished with a smirk at Naruto's scowl._

_"Damn right." Naruto snorted._

_"Apparently giving us this room served Kakashi's idea to not only put me on a _leash_ after all." Sasuke straightened up, his eyes locked with Naruto's. "Those rules were also let us know to not do anything out of ordinary and play decoys to lure them out."_

_Naruto's mouth drew a thin line downward from Sasuke's remark. He didn't feel much irritated anymore, it was replaced with serious anger and betrayal now. Two fingers poked his forehead, that stung. Naruto looked up at Sasuke's smirking face while nursing his mildly sore spot. The Uchiha whispered, "Idiot."_

_"This isn't fair…" Naruto mumbled. "Why can't they—"_

_"They trust you, Naruto." Sasuke interrupted, finger lingering on Naruto's lips half in his attempt to silent the younger one, another half was his uncontrollable impulse to have some kind not so blatantly suspicious physical connection with the blond. "They trust _you_ who trust me. That doesn't mean they trust me." He kept his voice firm with enough detachment to cover his real intention to be closed to Naruto._

_Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrist and tilted his head back slightly so he could talk while retaining skin on skin contact with Sasuke, as cheesy as it sounded to him. "Can't they at least treat you normal? It was not like you carried out your intention back then."_

_"Thanks to you." Sasuke reminded him, not making a move to pull his hand back. "But this beside the current situation, Naruto."_

_"Let's do it your way." Naruto spoke with determination lit in his eyes, Sasuke blinked back a surprise. "You can come up with something to show them while you might be a threat but at the same time you are not targeting them as long they leave you alone, right?"_

_"What make you think so?" Sasuke closed his eyes and tugged his hand, Naruto reluctantly released him and tensed up until he sat down beside the blond. "What make you think I want to prove anything, to them, no less?"_

_"I just…" Naruto started. "I don't want people like those two old goats appear again… you know…?" He trailed off, lost in memories of the time when they first returned to Konoha after everything was truly ended._

_"Naru—"_

"I don't want you turn your back to me again."_ Naruto continued in a smaller voice, spoke more to himself than it was meant to reach Sasuke's ears._

_Naruto saw pale hand in his vision and felt a cold touch on his cheek. He was turned to Sasuke's side and met the familiar Uchiha's smirk. "Is it a challenge, Naruto?" Bottomless eyes captivated him to the point he almost missed Sasuke's question. That still left him incapable to proceed what was asked of him._

_"Uh…" Naruto blinked some to clear the fog coated his mind, not working. "Huh?"_

_"I will make them aware of how much of a threat I am _only if_ they are in my way." Sasuke spoke slowly, his voice dropped to a deep alluring of pure seduction. "What will I gain from you then?"_

_Naruto, still not knowing how to counter this side of Sasuke which made him feel all dizzy and unable to think straight, did his usual way of dealing with something he couldn't understand, he lashed out. "What?! You bastard! Why should I give you something because you showed off your Uchiha worstness to someone else?!"_

_"Is that even a word?" Sasuke taunted. "You may be a little over seventeen but your vocabulary is as helpless as ever."_

_"Gaahhh! You pissed me off! You! You bastard!" Naruto made a move to grab Sasuke, whom calmly stood up and stepped away from his advances._

_"Well?" Sasuke used Body Flicker Technique to dodge a kick, caused the cheap mute color wall behind him to crumble due to Naruto's uncontrollable effort to land a painful hit on Sasuke's lower region. The inner part of Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blond's choice of attacking his sensitive area._

_"What?" Naruto snapped, chased after the overly amused Uchiha. "Stop dodging, you bastard!" This time he threw some kunai at Sasuke._

_Sasuke jumped, dodged all the offending pointy objects, left the cheap glass window behind him to fall victim in his place. He somersaulted over Naruto and landed behind the blond. Before Naruto could almost rear horse kick him, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's ankle and tugged, hard enough to unbalance the moron. He took advantage of the flailing and squeaking idiot, pushed Naruto on his own back, traps Naruto's legs with his, his hands braced on the sides by Naruto's head, successfully pinned the blond against the couch, one and only thing magically survived through Naruto's moment of the day._

_Naruto's wheezed, ragged breaths pushed and pulled air into his lungs, whilst Sasuke was slightly out of breath, being the one with more control over how to move with minimum effort so as to not waste more stamina than he was willing to use. They stayed that way until Naruto's panting ceased and turned his head away from Sasuke, unknowingly showed the exposed skin of his neck to the black eyes flashed crimson of Sharingan._

_"Naruto."_

_The way his name was called sent unknown chill down Naruto's spines, he involuntarily shivered before his mind could catch up with his body's reaction. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whose eyes had a certain glint surveying him. His heart was beating too loud in his ears at the shortening space between them, his blunt nails dug into the couch in his sudden nervousness, his whole self was rigid when he felt Sasuke's breaths fanning his face, their noses brushed. His Adam's apple bobbed when he tried to swallow. Naruto shut his eyes at the feathery touch of Sasuke's lips against his so momentarily and it was gone before he could actually tell if it was real. His eyes snapped wide open, Naruto gasped at the sensation on his ear, where Sasuke's lips trailed the outline of the reddened lobe then those same lips softly nipped at the appendage, almost pulled a noise from Naruto's throat if not for the blond to swallow down on time._

_"If we pull through this, Naruto." Sasuke lulled his name, "I will continue where we are here, at this moment, in somewhere no one can come to rescue you. And if they did, whoever they were, I am going to make them watch from the beginning to the end before killing them. Doesn't matter if you like it or not."_

_Naruto's hands moved with purpose and wrapped around Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha lost his balance when he was unexpectedly towed down by Naruto at the same time lips crashed with his. Sasuke pressed back and dominated Naruto's mouth before he could discern his action. Intoxicating. That was what kissing Naruto felt like. When he receded, Naruto made a distress noise and attempted to draw him back. Sasuke rolled them over so Naruto was on top of him, his arms circled Naruto's lower back. Their breathing was more uneven than before when they caught their breath for the second time._

_"Shou—should've done—this sooner!" Naruto had a shit eating grin on his face, his cackle muffled on Sasuke's chest, which rumbled with the Uchiha's grunt. He purred contently like a cat when Sasuke's fingers carded through his hair and worked magic on his scalp. "Remember what you said, bastard."_

_"What I said? Forcing myself on you against your will?" Sasuke inquired, his sight fixed on the mute color ceiling._

_That was until Naruto filled his vision and looked down at him, sobered enough to be serious for talking. "In the name of those who lost their lives outside the door, behind the window, other side of the wall, one was being chased by my clone and one under your genjutsu, I guarantee you can't force a willing."_

_Sasuke had a solemn look on his face and he sighed. He watched Naruto hold breath and wait for his answer to the offering. He had lost himself in a flash of madness and went against what he had wanted for Naruto not too long earlier. He closed his eyes and chastised himself silently in his head. When he felt Naruto tensed up above him, Sasuke opened his eyes immediately and caught the hurt look on Naruto's face, a curse almost slipped pass his throat. Sasuke sat up with Naruto cradled in his lap. "I was serious about what I said, Naruto. But I want you to think. I will give you time, as long as yo—" Naruto was always silent and listened intensely when he talked, this was the first time the blond cut him off by shoving a tongue down his throat and dear Itachi, if his brother loved him as he said then he should be hearing Naruto's mother lecture about why it was the bird and the bee and not the bee and the bee or the bird and the bird right now, in his beloved younger brother's stead. Because said beloved younger brother had a blond's mouth to ravish, again._

_A rational part of himself reminded Sasuke this was not the appropriated place to go further than sucking each other's face. That took more effort than he imagined but he managed. His amazing endurance was being tested however, because Naruto refused to submerge yet, the moron kept licking and chastely kissing his tender lips still. "Naruto." Never before Sasuke heard himself like this, breathy and longing and something else he had several good ideas about but those were too romantic and over-pinked to use the right names. Naruto hummed cheekily and nuzzled his neck, must have also realized the effects his moronic self had on one stoic, aloof, heart of ice Uchiha. Aside from that, they had something to do. For example…_

_"I will draw their attention and let Kakashi know, he would be able to stop the match then. Use that opportunity and take down anything was not supposed to be. I will send your clones when you've located them."_

_Naruto jerked his head up. Eyes narrowed at a part caught his attention the most. "By sending my clones," Naruto said slowly, gritting his teeth, "Did you, by any chance, mean your Rinnegan?"_

_"What's the point of not using something in our disposal to get troubles out of the way sooner?" Sasuke stated casually as if he could have careless._

_"You will not use Rinnegan or Mangekyou. You are still recovering. We will inform Kakashi and let him take care of the rest. At the very least he knew we were being spied on but couldn't pinpoint them yet. He should have counter measure ready." Naruto reasoned. His eyes pinned Sasuke's dead on. Despite what he had done to lessen the damage Sasuke had put them through, soft bloodshot lines was still visible if one squinted hard enough in Sasuke's eyes. His hand caressed Sasuke's cheek and he leaned up to kiss Sasuke's left brow then left eyelid when Sasuke closed his eyes. "You don't have to push yourself that hard anymore." Naruto cradled Sasuke's head in his chest and spoke softly atop the silky midnight hair. "Don't do that to us, Sasuke. We have friends, let them help."_

_Sasuke stayed motionless for too long Naruto was almost afraid he had to beat some senses to the—_his_ bastard once again. But when Sasuke tightened the embrace on him, Naruto couldn't for the life of himself describe this warm, fuzzy feeling bubbled in his stomach._

_"There was no need for Rinnegan. The basic phase of Sharingan would be enough to slow them down while your clones running over them on their short legs like wayward ducks scattered all over the place."_

_"WHAAAAAAAAT?! I don't have short legs! I will show you short legs! You pompous bastard!" Naruto shrieked right in Sasuke's ears, the high-pitch scream left an echo rang in the almost destroyed room. The blond paid no heed while Sasuke widened his own eyes in horror when he grabbed the belt of his pant and tugged with unnecessary force._

_"I didn't know you had it in you. Guess those years with a pervert hermit had done a good job to your modesty. I've already known Kakashi had no shame when he read porn in front of children and didn't bother to hide it." Sasuke tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow suggestively._

_A nice fat blush flushed Naruto's entire face spread down to his neck and maybe lower when he realized what he was about to do had Sasuke not so subtly pointed out. Naruto squawked indignantly, pulled his hands away and snatched a hand full of Sasuke's shirt as if on fire. "Y—y—you pervert! Idiot! Bastard!"_

_"I was not the one dropping my pants in front of my best friend." Sasuke deadpanned, his eyes twinkled with humor on contrary to his poker face._

_Naruto opened and closed his mouth, gaping like a fish with no sound came out and eyes budged. When did Sasuke ever, ever have this creepy sense of humor?! Naruto got no time to gawk more when Sasuke stood up and stretched, dropped him on his butt in the process._

_Sasuke looked down and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Naruto angled his head up and stared back stupidly._

_"Are you waiting for me to carry you like a bride to the arena?" Sasuke demanded. His eyes asked a double question. 'What level is your idiocy?'_

_"Will you?" Naruto blurted without thinking._

_"Stay here and sleep." Sasuke answered coldly, walked toward the broken door._

_"Sasuke." Naruto stood up and dusted his pants. He didn't need to look up to know Sasuke had stopped in his step when he called. "Don't…" He trailed off, hand weaved through his hair in frustration. At last, he huffed. "Don't do something stupid without me."_

_And then, Sasuke was gone at the same time the bell rang._

* * *

Sasuke sidestepped, Naruto's punch wheezed pass him, almost grazed his left cheek and grabbed the back collar of Naruto's jumper. He dragged the struggling blond to the exit much to the amusement of their audiences.

"Lemme go! You bastard! Kakashi-sensei! I wanna fight him! Lemme go! You fucking SICKO PERVERT VIRGIN BOY MOLESTER!" Naruto kicked and shrilled like a misbehavior munchkin he once was, not bother to hear what he said himself.

Each and every person in the whole arena were wide-awaken at the last screeching words, shock registered with the meaning and once again, silence of another deadly kind flooded the entire place.

That was when Naruto did something no one foresaw. He crossed his fingers in a familiar hand sign and more than twenty doppelgangers of himself dispersed all directions. At the same time Sharingan surveyed the entire stadium.

Kakashi glanced over to other Kages and they nodded, signaled for their subordinates to follow Naruto's lead in sync. It didn't take long to capture all the unwanted guesses, not even one of them could put up much of a fight under Sasuke's genjutsu with Naruto's clones greeted them on their escape ways to boost. When an ANBU reported back to him all was done, Kakashi turned back at his two former students, his eyes in the inverted U shape indicated the smile under the mask he still refused to discard. However, he took one close look at Sasuke and the smile whipped off his face almost instantly.

The Uchiha released his hold on Naruto, blonde head hit the ground with a painful thud. Sasuke turned in slow motion his eyes never left the form of one nervously swallowing Naruto, whom just realized what possible doom his big mouth had landed his ass in, literally.

_'Think! Think! Think!'_ He needed something to distract Sasuke from doing _something_ to him, right here, right now. _'What to do? What to do? What to do?!'_

Naruto saw Kakashi's saucer eyes looked at him with barely contain horror in the corner of his eyes. He snapped his head in his Hokage's direction and bellowed without thinking. "Kakashi-sensei! Let me fight him!" He inwardly crossed his hands and made watery eyes at his former teacher. _'Please please! I don't want to be alone with Sasuke now! He will eat me alive!'_

Kakashi, for his part, made a decision to save his own life and others by lifting his gaze to Sasuke again. Only to notice Sharingan still activated while Sasuke's middle index fingers crossed in a certain hand sign. His eyes widened at realization, he almost recoiled at the Uchiha smirked borderline devil-reincarnated. Kakashi jerked back to the clueless-to-his-upcoming-doom Naruto with double horror. The rest of the observers watched with anticipation, hold their breaths for what was to come next, mindless of the earlier event seeing their own village's ANBU at work.

"Get back inside Naruto! You passed this exam! There was no need for you to continue!" Kakashi rushed, hoping beyond hope Naruto took the hint and run for his own life.

"But Kaka—" Naruto was cut off by a familiar _poof_ sound from behind him. He inclined his head to look back at Sasuke when something made contact with his face.

* * *

_Their footsteps echoed in darkness of the corridor leading to the arena. He walked behind Sasuke at a slower pace. Before he knew it, the far light dimmed until everything went black, a familiar scene assaulted him. Naruto realized he was in his thirteen years old self with a startle and in front of his eyes, the same thirteen years old Sasuke, clad in dark blue shirt with high and wide collar of the Uchiha's trademark attire walked away from him. He instinctively reached out and pushed his heavy legs to run after the fading form. Dread gnawed at his consciousness. His mouth opened, his throat was raw and ached after futile screaming but no sound came out._

"Sasuke!"

_A pale hand appeared in his vision, grabbed his, and pulled him forward. Naruto was assaulted by the deafening sound of reality where people were cheering and screaming outside. He looked up from where his head buried under Sasuke's chin, mildly aware of another pale hand was at his lower back, thumb moved up and down in a soothing motion beside the same one gripped his hand earlier now enveloped the back of his head._

_A sob left him. Naruto blinked his eyes off the water flooded his vision, some droplets fall down on his cheeks. "Sasuke."_

_Sasuke wordlessly situated blonde head above his heart. His hand ascended from Naruto's back and wrapped around the blond's shoulder, another covered one of Naruto's ear, pressed Naruto uncovered ear on his chest to block the unimportant background noises. "Listen Naruto, and listen well." Sasuke whispered softly atop the mob of blonde hair, inhaled Naruto's unique scent. "How this heart is beating when you are around."_

_Naruto shut his eyes tightly and focused on the thumping sound of Sasuke's heartbeats. Strong. Steady. And fast. Just like _his_. His hands gripped the back of Sasuke's shirt tighter, he pressed himself impossibly closer to Sasuke to hear more. _More. "Sasuke."

_Sasuke didn't fail to acknowledge a smile in the way Naruto called his name._

_"TEN!"_

_The counting down to the last ten seconds before they were both forfeited broke Naruto out of his trance. He looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes._

_"NINE!"_

_Naruto shook his head frantically. "Sasuke. Don't." It was the first time in a month Sasuke was to use his Sharingan. What if he strained his body and collapsed? Kakashi had been bedridden for months after the fight with Pein. It didn't matter how strong Sasuke was, he was still human and already over his limit once!_

_"Naruto—"_

_"EIGHT!"_

_Naruto pushed Sasuke away and turned to ran back to where they came, but the Uchiha captured his wrist before he could take the first step. "You said we will do it my way."_

_Sasuke turned him around. Unlike Sasuke, he wore his heart on his sleeve. And there was nothing he wanted to hide from Sasuke to begin with. Not even his fear for Sasuke himself._

_"SEVEN!"_

_"What if we'd caught all of them earlier and none left out there? We have to fight again. I want to fight you but I don't want to do it because someone told us to!" Naruto struggled to free himself from between Sasuke and the wall he was pinned against. "You are not at your best either! We can fight whenever you want but just not now!"_

_"SIX!"_

_"You don't have to. We don't have to." Sasuke assured him. Naruto buried himself in Sasuke's arms again. His struggling had ceased but he didn't relax one bit._

_"FIVE!"_

_"Stand by me, Naruto." Sasuke whispered when he stepped back and pulled Naruto with him._

_Naruto shook his head weakly. "Promise me you won't push yourself too hard."_

_"FOUR!"_

_"Don't underestimate an Uchiha." Sasuke glared coldly but black eyes softened afterward. He poked Naruto's forehead. "Come, usuratonkachi."_

_"Sasuke…" Naruto felt giddy like a blushing schoolgirl when Sasuke tugged on his hand and they sped together toward the opening._

_"THREE!"_

_Sasuke returned his grin with a smirk of his own. "I lied, Naruto."_

_Naruto's heart almost stopped. _

_"TWO!"_

_"I can't wait to have you between me and my bed after this."_

_And his heart soared._

_"ON—"_

_"Bastard!"_

_The cheering doubled its previous intensity at the sight of them stood in center of the arena._

* * *

His face was covered by something softer than the softest of silk. Oh dear his God, had humanity finally invented something more epic than pillow? So soft. So smooth. So warm… His hands moved on their own accord all over the curvy exterior while he snuggled his face more into _his_ new pillow, moaning contently. This pillow was his! He got it first! Not sharing. Nuh uh! Mmm… smell so good… like _Sasuke's_…

Wait, what?

"Sasuke?!" Naruto moved his face away from _his precious pillow_ and almost dislodged his eyeballs from their sockets. Stretched as they was, still barely accommodated the size of his astonishment, wonderment, and utterly confusion. Was this some kind of first class phenomenon? This was more amazing than Lalaland's five-star wet dream, this was a forbidden apple, a materialization of sex on two legs. Who cared about Erosennin's porn series when he had all of this Sasuke for himself? His fingers twitched from where they had been _fondl_—ahem, touching and _felt_ the reality of this situation. Naruto was in bliss. _Oh Itachi, thank you Itachi_. Never in his life had he loved Itachi this much!

"Yo." The new feminine voice spoke in a familiar menacing dark, deadly, monosyllable greeted his ears. "You fucking sicko pervert virgin molester."

Sasuke's new voice was strained on the edge however. Naruto noticed an _almost_ invisible pink color on Sasuke's cheeks and Sasuke's breathing was slightly odd… Hmm… Unconsciously his fingers jiggled on the newly formed chest. And he heard it. Yes! A hitch like Sasuke had bit back something in _her_ throat. Ah ha! Duly noted! _Itachi, did I say I love you? You heard that right?! I fucking love you!_

These same darker than black eyes, that ebony hair had been short and spiked at the back of _his_ head now cascaded down _her_ back. Those same length side bangs had never been any less alluring, ever. _Her_ creamy skin, velvet to the touch like how a girl should be replaced the sharp and defined muscles that spoke of _his_ masculinity but vocalized Sasuke's hidden fearsome strength and capabilities all the same. His awe blue eyes slid down to _her_ lips, those smirking, kissable lips, soft petal lips, rosy color lips… Much of his effort had to muster to slide his eyes lower, he swallowed his dried as desert throat when he glimpsed at _her_ delicate neck visible with their close intimacy… Then, these round and full bosoms fitted in his hands like they were designed especially to be belonged to him only. His eyes widened at the opened zipper shirt that showed off almost half of _her_ cleavage and then reality hit him.

His little world of him and Sasuke alone was shattered by various kinds of screaming "Sasuke-_chan_!", "Sasuke-_sama_!", Sasuke-this, Sasuke-that from unknown voices and "How dare you touch Sasuke that way, Uzumaki Naruto!" from Karin to "Hands off, Naruto!" from Ino and Sakura and creative threats threw his way. Naruto knew creative when he was at the receiving end of it!

Without thinking, Naruto pulled the shorter, unexpected _female_ Sasuke to him after zipping up _her_ shirt to cover what exposed of her front and released his killing-intent almost rival Sasuke's previous wave, he glowered at the crowd. "Stop looking at Sasuke! You damn pervert goats!"

However, unlike the deadliness of Sasuke, Naruto's only served to fuel the crowd's thirst for Uchiha. They fearlessly shot back. "Who do you think you are!?", "You are the one touching Sasuke-_chan_!", "Release _her_, Uzumaki!" and so on.

Too occupied with trading profanities of all kinds with the uncontrollable crowd, Naruto missed the smile and a kiss placed above his wildly beating heart hidden from view by his chest while he was holding Sasuke protectively without realizing it. Sheesh, people sure didn't know when to back off. Sasuke was his before they were born! Believe it! Naruto growled menacingly. After Orochimaru, then Obito and Madara, then that psycho bunny grandma, now these people whom fought alongside him in the War. Give him a break! He gave them the world, now let him have Sasuke in peace! Shut the fuck up people!

Decided enough was enough, Sasuke put _her_ delicate hands on Naruto's cheeks, in which Naruto gave _her_ two seconds of his life time attention before he screamed, "FUUUUUUUUCK!" And passed out from the sudden loss of blood escaping his nose in waves. With Naruto totally out cold, Sasuke dispelled the scandalous Technique. He proceeded nonchalantly, grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt and dragged his moron off the arena. Never paid the crowd a glance.

* * *

Naruto groggily opened his eyes to a dark room, unable to realize his whereabouts at the moment. He tensed and extended his chakra to examine his surroundings. His body was rigid when he sensed a present very close to him, invading his personal space. On reflex he twitched his fingers and gathered enough chakra to form a Rasengan, bidding his time to trike. A red flashed in front of his eyes, recognizing the telltale of Sasuke's Sharingan, Naruto relaxed his muscles and sighed wearily in relief. This room has Sasuke's scent, Naruto noted, now that he had calmed down enough to make out the silhouette of Sasuke sitting on the bed he was lying on. Earlier event flooded back in his mind eyes.

"That was a low blow." Whispered Naruto. He draped an arm over his forehead and covered his eyes.

"As you said," Sasuke spoke from above him, "Against the more powerful opponent, the more effective was the technique."

Naruto chortled. Sasuke shifted and hovered over him, grabbed his arm, moved it from his eyes to beside his head. He felt their fingers lacing and Sasuke bent down, rubbing their noses.

"Now," Sasuke tilted his head, before their lips connected, he whispered, "Where were we?"

It felt like an everyday occurrence when he wrapped his unoccupied hand around Sasuke's neck and pulled until their front melted together while their limps tangled to the point of impossible to tell which was whose. That was fine with him, Naruto wouldn't want this other way. But before that, he needed to confess something and put Sasuke out of his misery.

Naruto tugged the softer hair on Sasuke's nape to get the Uchiha withdrew enough for him to speak after they gathered air in their lungs. He searched Sasuke's eyes, now that his night vision was better, he could make out the abyss that was Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes were truly darker than black in all sense of meaning. Those precious, cursed Uchiha's eyes.

"How do you feel?" Naruto whispered in a hushed tone. His thumb brushed the skin under Sasuke's left eye.

Sasuke leaned in his touch. A pale, slightly cold hand covered his. "Why? I love you but I am so not going to make gay speech for you."

Naruto scowled. "You have to add craps after those three words in order to keep your ice prick status?"

"I feel like I can do anything with you beside me." Naruto's eyes widened. Those words… Sasuke had _known_ all this time?

"Sasu—" He made an attempt to talk, but Sasuke was not done yet.

"I don't feel sorry about what I did so I won't say sorry. This is how I am. It's your last chance, Naruto. Turn away while you still have a choice." Sasuke's face got farther until he couldn't see the Uchiha anymore. Naruto abruptly sat up, ignored his spinning headache and saw Sasuke almost left the bed, or he would have left if not for Naruto grabbing his wrist in an iron grip.

"You said your piece and wanted to run before hearing mine?" Naruto growled and yanked Sasuke back to him. Their chests collided painfully, knocked air out of their lungs. "I chased after your back all these years and finally when I have you where I want you, the least I deserve is _you_, if that's what you are worrying about. There was no one and nothing else I want could be better."

Sasuke glared at Naruto almost hatefully, he sneered. "You could have better off with Sakura. I had made it clear I don't have mutual feeling with her. And then you throw away the chance to finally have her for yourself? Let's not forget about the Hyuuga mistress."

"If you say this to me four years ago I might pounce you and beat you up nice and pretty. Now, all I want after hearing you is uprooting that stick up your ass and replace with mine! Did you think Sakura or Hinata ever cross my mind when I kissed you or when you kissed me?!" Naruto bellowed angrily. What was his problem? What were Sakura and Hinata doing in their problem at all?

"Are you an idiot? I told you how I want you. But I want you to use your thick skull and think for once. Does it ever occur to you there is a difference if you stay with them instead of me?!" Sasuke tried to keep his voice even, but his anger leaked out nonetheless. This moron thought he felt nothing of sort like a jealous lover when one's lover might choose others over oneself?

"There is a fucking difference. You idiot! I am willing to die for them!" Naruto roared. He shoved Sasuke backward and straddled the Uchiha's hips. "That was as far as I would go for them." Naruto gritted his teeth when something of negative emotions flashed in Sasuke's eyes but it was gone almost instantly. He knew better than to blame his imagination. He needed not to see, he felt Sasuke was hurting by his words. But he was not done yet, this bastard was going to hear still the end. "The same with everyone I know."

"Get off." Sasuke activated Sharingan and spoke in a calmly chill tone devoid of emotion. His left hand twitched, the electric current of an upcoming Chidori sizzled in the air.

Naruto jammed his palm on Sasuke's deadly wrist and kicked his legs back, locked their limbs in the process. He ignored Sasuke's warning and declared, once _again_. "But I am willing to die with you." His other hand gripped the sheet beside Sasuke's head. "Only you. I can't leave you alone. I only want to be with you." Naruto felt exhausted beyond reason. "I love Sakura. I love Hinata. I love Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-taichou, Sai, Neji, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Ino, TenTen, Shino, Lee, Guy-sensei, Konohamaru, Erosennin, Tsunade-bachan and others too. But that's that."

Sasuke's breath hitched, his eyes widened.

Naruto loosened his grip on Sasuke's lax wrist and entwined their fingers. "I am in love with you. For a genius, I know you are pretty dumb."

Sasuke opened his mouth but Naruto cut him off with a haughty huff. "Shut up so I can kiss you, you idiot bastard."

* * *

**End chapter.**

* * *

**Omake 1:** Sasuke and Naruto (extra)

Naruto loosened his grip on Sasuke's lax wrist and entwined their fingers. "I am in love with you. For a genius, I know you are pretty dumb."

Sasuke opened his mouth but Naruto cut him off with a lewd demand. "Shut your trap and turn back to a girl! I know you must be a girl in disguise all this time! You fucking damsel in distress!"

"CHIDORI!"

* * *

**Omake 2:** The Five Kages round table post Jounin Exam

"Hokage."

"Yes, Kazekage."

"In the name of remaining Kages, we thank you for your idea of this Alliance Jounin Exam. We are opened to discuss future activities."

"Thank you, Kages."

"One more thing, Hokage. This is strictly personal, however."

"What is it, Raikage?"

"Was Uchiha Sasuke in fact a woman?"

"… I really hope so. But he, in fact, used Naruto's personal invented Sexy Technique." Kakashi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Damn…" Mizukage muttered to herself. The men heard something about young and kids. They wisely stayed out of her magma range.

* * *

**Omake 3:** Afterlife discussion

"Sasuke…" Itachi watched the widescreen television live-broadcasting the current event on the living world. He bowed his head, his shoulders shaking to suppress his overwhelming emotions. "You may be my beloved brother but how dare you get laid at earlier age than me?!"

Beside him, Minato stood root to the spot, almost speechless beyond belief. "Now I understand what Naruto meant when he hesitated about the _girl_ he wanted to be with…"

"I told him to find a girl like me! Not a boy who could transform to a girl at their will!" Kushina screamed in the background.

"All hail the Spring time of YOUTH!" Night Guy ran around the room in green, hauling a sparking banner with the same words he was spouting.

* * *

Author's end chapter note: (You don't really have to read these rubbish, just saying. I am merely telling why I wrote this chapter the way it was.)  


I have mixed feeling about this chapter. Somehow I felt unhappy after I was done. Not about the chapter in general. I knew I did my best, some might like it, some might think it was strange and so on. I don't know.

So after I was fed with too many leaked information about the Movie on December, looked like Sasuke and Naruto fans wouldn't be too happy if it was to turn out Naruto hooked up with Hinata in the end. That was where my troubles came.

First of all I don't hate Hinata, on contrary. That was why I thought if Naruto was to develop romantic feeling with her then that was weird. I went and watched manga and anime again where their interactions were focus the most, and I had this thought, "If that was Sakura in Hinata's place, wouldn't he do the same too? Yes, since he was Naruto, he would." Naruto's interactions with females character throughout the series was almost the same. He gave too many confused signals. He cared for them greatly, yes, to the point of endanger his own life, yes.

Then there was Sasuke. At thirteen, Naruto was intense and hell-bent on stopping Sasuke's defection, left the village with Jiraiya to be stronger. Two years and a half later, he cried angry tears at himself for being weak when they met again at Orochimaru's base. He told Yamato that he wanted to become Sasuke's strength. He didn't give up Rasen Shuriken knowing what it did to his body. He told Sasuke he would shoulder the latter's hatred and died together. He stood up against Sasuke's idea. Oh hell did I need to say more?

First love? I am sorry if you didn't think it was but Naruto and Sasuke were practically each other's first love. They noticed each other, understand each other, and hurt the same pain the other's feel. If that's not love, I don't know what is. So if Naruto was to be ended up with Hinata, would she be able to compare with Sasuke and Naruto's _bond_ (under the name of friendship, okay)? Excuse me, the one had always been _beside_ Naruto was Sasuke. The rest was along side him. Would Hinata really accept the second place in Naruto's heart just to be with him? I'm sorry, that's just too cruel.

I wonder if that's why Sasuke was still wandering instead of going back to Konoha. Sigh... Winter time of Youth. Wait, what did Kurama mean when he told Sasuke: "Don't kill Naruto. You will live the rest of your life regretting it."? That fox rooted for whom?!

Sorry for the rant.

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Thank you for all the reviews on previous chapter. To answer umispirit's question, Sasuke purposely rescheduled Karin's appointment so she knew about his mission, led to the event she went ranting with Naruto, unknowingly informed him. In the end Sasuke manipulated them all? No no, Naruto chose to fight for his position beside Sasuke, or was it his way to protect Sakura from another rejection? Maybe both.


End file.
